Raspberry Pi Forums

The model a+ has only one USB port. How do
keyboard and mouse connect?

Celtic wrote:The model a+ has only one USB port. How do
keyboard and mouse connect?

Most of my keyboards have USB ports on them (i.e., the keyboard has an internal USB hub). So, the mouse gets plugged into the keyboard.

Other possibilities include:

1. Using a keyboard/mouse combo device (i.e., such that you only need 1 port to connect to)
2. (last resort) Use a regular USB hub.

Since you normally need a WiFi (or wired ethernet) USB dongle and keyboard and mouse it's usually impossible to run a A+ without a USB hub.

DougieLawson wrote:Since you normally need a WiFi (or wired ethernet) USB dongle and keyboard and mouse it's usually impossible to run a A+ without a USB hub.

Which kinda defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it?

I mean, add in the hub (including the increased power draw from having all those things connected) and you've essentially got (some variety of) a B.

The only exception I can see is if you use the one single USB port for either WiFi or wired ethernet and run the thing "headless".

Joe Schmoe wrote:

DougieLawson wrote:Since you normally need a WiFi (or wired ethernet) USB dongle and keyboard and mouse it's usually impossible to run a A+ without a USB hub.

Which kinda defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it?

I mean, add in the hub (including the increased power draw from having all those things connected) and you've essentially got (some variety of) a B.

The only exception I can see is if you use the one single USB port for either WiFi or wired ethernet and run the thing "headless".

Not really. The A+ has the same, improved, power regulation that the B+/Pi2B have, so one can use an unpowered hub to power everything that one would attach to a B+.

The hub I use with an A+ is: http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=10065

At $3.70, that still keeps the price of a functional A+ below that of a B+ so long as you don't need wired Ethernet (I have a USB to Ethernet device for use at home, but that's not *required* for basic functionality). An A+ with a 2A PSU handles mouse, keyboard and WiFi dongle just fine with that hub.

Now if the RPF, in it's infinite wisdom, would upgrade the A+ to 512MB, it would be a direct substitution for a B+ in many instances when coupled with an unpowered hub.

Getting an A+ to run headless and wireless presents a logical challenge, but it's worth it in the end. I love the simplicity of just power and a wireless dongle.

I had to use a B with an adaptor, a B+ or 2B for ethernet anyway and then swap the card to the A+, or the A+ with a hub and HDMI screen just to set up the wireless parameters. Once you can SSH over wireless you can put all the peripherals back where they came from. They only need be borrowed.

Then of course, if you have a configured SD image you never go back. I am sure there are millions of us hoarding the images we sweated so hard to build.

I am smug because I did it today.

OR

GpIO - PS/2 keyboard interface
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